Fear Itself
by Lacewing
Summary: Ashley Tompson always felt a little different. Maybe it was because even as an adult she believed in beings like Cupid, Santa Clause, the Toothfairy and the Easter Bunny. Or maybe it was because she still has nightmares about the personal interest that the Boogeyman had taken in her every day life. Something is up and time is slowly running out for everyone.
1. Chapter 1

Fear Itself

Chapter 1

Notes: I was not going to start this one! Seriously! But it wouldn't get out of my head and was preventing me from writing on my other stuff. Including Still Breathing. SO, it seems I shall be working a double fic for awhile. Hopefully this one won't be too long.

000

Being sick in the winter sucked.

Being sick on a snow day was the worst.

For the seven year old it was torture. Her head pounded, everything floated weirdly in her gaze. Currently her mother was cooking in the kitchen. She could smell soup and cocoa and all it did was make her stomach churn.

So she sat at the huge picture windows and stared into the untouched snow of the front yard. The big pine tree looking like a Christmas decoration with all its needles covered in frost and bits of powdered snow clung to the end of branches. A shiny black raven decided it was too good a chance to miss some fun of his own and was bouncing from branch to branch shaking off the snow and making great holes in the coverage on the ground.

The raven haired little girl grinned and giggled her nose pressed up against the glass and her breath making it fog.

Then suddenly it burst into frosty patterns. Blinking her fuzzy eyes at this she burst into tired giggles. For a moment forgetting how ill she felt, how her head spun or how the edges of her vision darkened oddly.

She took a breath, fighting the urge to cough, and breathed on the glass in another spot.

It fogged then suddenly broke into beautiful frosty patterns, lines of ice forming and spanning out like little patterns of fern leaves.

Clapping her hands in delight she reached up and drew a line along the foggy frost. Just a little smiley face.

Then blinked as there was the outline of a raven next to it.

She rubbed her brown eyes and then looking slightly beyond the outline of the bird and after a moment she grinned.

There was a blue boy there. His skin pale and his hair as well. His eyes an icy blue. His hair windblown and dressed with a hooded shirt and one hand in the front pocket a long staff hooked in his arm. She grinned and drew a little snowflake above his bird. And the smile that broke out on his face made her feel like for the moment… she had a new friend.

And for the lonely girl it made her happy.

She didn't know how long she drew pictures through the glass with the blue boy, her fogging the glass, him freezing it and the two of them filling it with fanciful outlines and silly childish drawings but eventually a sound caught his attention and he turned. A bunch of the neighborhood kids running down the half plowed roadway, hauling sleds and tossing bits of ice and pinecones at each other.

The blue boy laughed and then half danced over the top of the snow, leaving only swirls in his wake.

"hey.. come back!" the little girl said feeling upset that the boy would leave and not even say goodbye. It was like, he didn't realize she could see him.

She got up from the couch and rushed to the front door. Dressed in footed pajamas she pulled her mother's shawl over her shoulders and coughing she held a hedgehog toy in one arm and pulled the door open with her other.

A rush of cold air hit her in the face, shocking her lungs and making her cough so that she couldn't yell after the blue boy and the other children now tossing snow balls after each other as they rushed off for the hill the neighborhood kids all called 'dead man's drop'.

"Come.. back.." her words where broken by more coughing and she knelt huddled under the shawl.

Everything spun and felt so, weird. She glanced up and for a moment thought she saw a tall man, standing under the pine tree. The raven that had been playing there took off in startled flight cawing at the intruder.

And he only smiled at her as she collapsed.

The draft of cold air from the open doorway caught her mother's attention and she came over to see what was going on. Seeing her daughter in the opened doorway she rushed over.

"Ashley Tompson, what do you think you are…oh god." Picking up the tiny seven year old and feeling her forehead the woman bundled her up, shoving her feet into heavy snow boots she rushed out the doorway to the old station wagon and loading the little girl into the passenger's side seat she rushed to the doctors.

000

Ashley had woken in the hospital when her fever broke. When asked why she had been in the open doorway she had replied that she had only wanted to say good bye to the blue boy. The doctors wrote it off as being because of the fever. Hallucinations most likely. They said she had something called pneumonia and her fever had spiked dangerously.

They were able to break her fever in the hospital and she was on the mend. With the blizzard that came in overnight, school was likely to be out until winter break. So she had lots of time to get better before she had to go back.

Tuning out the adults she stood by the window looking out over the court yard below, all covered in white snow. Then fogging the glass with her breath she drew the outline of a raven with snowflakes around it.

000

Nine year old Ashley Tompson came awake with a snort and blinked. Reaching up she rubbed tired eyes, pushing her round rimmed glasses half up her head as she glanced down at her study desk in her room. She made a face as she righted her oversized plastic frames and held up her book. She'd fallen asleep reading and drooled all over the page. With a sigh she set it aside to dry and blinked.

Did she hear, bells? Leaning over her desk she looked through the small attic window of her bedroom and stared outside. It was a perfectly clear Christmas night. The moon looked so big! She grinned and half giggled as the effect it had upon the snow covered ground meant that suddenly it was a winter wonderland. Over the porch roof snow glistened and the white birch her mother planted next to the house the year she was born had snow weighing its branches and the few oblong leaves clinging vainly to its ends shimmered with ice coating them. The pines looked like silver Christmas trees, the ice cycles glinting back moon and starlight like little twinkle lights. A few colors glinting from the Christmas lights from neighbor's lawn displays.

She smiled huge in wonder at the sight and then heard again the sound that had woken her. Bells, and.. laughter? Looking up she saw the outline of something. It was not a plane, it looked like…

Santa's Sleigh!

"Oh wow!" she laughed. This was a real treat! She wondered what presents the kids would be talking about when school started again!

Her family didn't celebrate, but that was ok. Her mom and dad told her that presents were not just one time of year, they were all year and she didn't want for toys or other things.

Besides, Ashley's interests were pretty cheap. She loved books, and little ceramic boxes that she would hunt for at garage sales with her mom. She usually asked for paper and pencils. The sloped ceiling of her room was papered in her drawings. Some decent, some not so much. Of super heros and landscapes and against the opposite wall near the stairwell that went through her sister's room, she had an oil painting that she and her mom did together. A waterfall with ice clinging to the rocks and the moss glistening under the lights from above.

So many happy little trees. She giggled and getting up she spun about her room for just the pure joy before dropping into her bed and holding her head briefly as she misjudged and bonked her head on the low ceiling.

But she curled up pulling close her favorite toy, a stuffed puppet hedgehog her mom gave her when she was five. Her sister had a white seal in a sailor's outfit, she closed her eyes with a sigh. Falling into peaceful slumber.

Under the shadows of the spare bed a set of eyes watched her and a wide sharp smile. Her dreams, didn't seem to be as peaceful as the little girl frowned and then curled tighter under her blankets.

000

"You are a little old to be complaining about monsters under your bed dear." Her mother brushed back the eleven year old's hair and began braiding it.

"But mom! I did see a face under the spare bed! It was smiling at me, and… I hear a voice. Sometimes." She hugged her arms closer around herself.

"Hold still, and what does this voice say?"

"Lots of things, sometimes bad things, other things don't make sense. Sometimes he says things that make weird sense. But, I just don't like it!" she could stop the shudder. A feeling like cold fingers walking up her spine. It felt so, dark, slimy, as if something horrible was going to happen.

"It's just bad dreams, they will go away." Her mother said. "You just got to be strong and tell them that you aren't afraid of them!" and her mom kissed her cheek. "If you aren't scared of shadows they lose their power and go away."

"… I hope so."

000

Twelve years old and she dreaded going to her room. But despite her sister having no trouble with it, her parents insisted she sleep in her own room. As if they thought her fear was childish nonsense.

Maybe it was, but Ashley couldn't help it.

She didn't just see glowing eyes and a sharp smile anymore.

"Welcome back Ashley, how was school today?"

The young preteen stopped at the opening of her room looking behind her she could see the wide eye fearful stare of her sister. Biting her lip she gave the other girl a smile.

She knew her little sister could see him too. Could hear him.

The Boogey Man.

"It was, fine." She said softly edging around his form. He was seated on the spare bed, smiling pleasantly at her.

She didn't trust him. After a year of his constant scaring her she knew he could go from pleasant to dangerous in a short time. The wrong word could set him off.

And no amount of being brave could make him go away until he felt like it. And if she tried being too brave.

Well he showed her how little her bravery mattered to him.

She sat down at her desk and pulled out her homework.

And felt his shadow fall over her shoulder. She restrained a shudder. "What do we have today? Math? My my, hope your grades have improved over last semester."

"Um. Yeah." She said softly "you were right about that faster way to solve the problems." Talking kept her a little more focused and a little less likely to piss her pants.

He patted her shoulder "Well it's just because I'm a bit older than you and been doing this longer." And leaning over he looked over her pages. Pointing out some errors in her homework.

Even if she spent the next couple hours terrified, her homework got done.

And Ashley was not going to be forgetting this tutelage anytime soon.

000

Eighteen and collage. She packed her bag and sighed, staring at her empty room. The last couple years had been a strain on her and her family. Her father had fallen at a construction site and between the breaks and burns he had gotten, he wasn't going back anytime soon.

So he had been forced into an early retirement. Ashley was going to be going to college, but her family would be moving to the southern states were it was cheaper to live on their dad's much smaller income.

She sighed, for a moment she thought she felt ice cold fingers up her spine, but looking around there was nothing. Just a few shadows in the corner.

The girl shuddered and pulled up her knees hiding behind her bangs and limbs. A silvery bracelet hanging between her fingers. She sighed standing up and leaving the bracelet on the bare spare matrice that was to be left behind.

It was almost over, he couldn't follow her if she no longer lived here, right?

Right?

000

Ashley stared at the fish bowl. She had hoped the weekend feeder would be enough for the short time she had been gone, but, it did not appear so. The little goldfish floated on the scummy part of the water at the top. When she tapped the glass the little thing sunk to the bottom. Once a living creature, now, fishbait.

The girl sighed and pushed back her hair. She'd cut it when she went to college. It was shorter lengths now. Her mother hated it, but Ashley was horrible at taking care of long hair without someone else to do the braiding. With as compact as her college days had been and working part time with various jobs to pay for her school books.

She just needed one thing in her life to be easy.

As she got her fish net and gave her little friend a burial down the toilet drain, she leaned back against the bathroom door and slowly sank down to the floor. Everything just felt so, wrong. Like this was not how her life was meant to be.

She'd gone to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with her family. Everyone had been so cheerful. Her sister was married with lots of happy fat babies (triplets. They were still trying to figure out where they came from) Her father resided over the turkey and ham with his electric carving knife and bad puns. Guaranteed to bring groans to the table every year. (Do fathers go to school for that? How to tell bad jokes and embarrass their children even among family?) Her mom cooked in the kitchen and made everyone else clean up after. While she sat with her feet up drinking eggnog.

But Ashley felt, well disconnected from it all. She smiled and laughed and chased the triplets around with the cats, she brought along her early Christmas presents and received a few for herself in return. (Mostly gift cards as she been flying)

But it just felt all so very far away from her. Her latest boyfriend dumped her right before she left. (With the old adage 'it's not you it's me!' How could she believe that when they where twitching at shadows and practically flying out of her front door?) So that had not improved her mood. Her family had expected to see him but she had to inform them he was not coming and why.

So she got the lines about plenty of fish in the sea, maybe he was gay? All those words of comfort she'd heard a million times. (Well her sister said she didn't like his nose anyway. Too small.)

And she comes home to the only living thing dependent upon her, well… no longer dependant.

Worse though was when she and her sister started talking about their childhood and the old house.

And she had to pretend that she was 'over' what happened. Her sister, had forgotten most of the details. Just thought it was nothing but a mild hysteria or her just playing along with her sister's fear.

Ashley wrapped her arms around herself in the bathroom and tucked her head between her knees. She tried not to think about that time. She hadn't seen the boogeyman in a long time, but she was still scared.

Still knew he was real.

Very very real.

Just like Santa and the Toothfairy. All of them. She'd seen most of them in the distance. Had a few minor interactions with a couple.

She still remembered the look on Cupid's face when she told him to save his arrow he had been aiming at a guy. Sure enough, the girl had opened her arms to another man who came around the corner.

She'd seen them meet for lunch many a time. He thanked her for saving a bit of heartbreak and went on with shooting someone else. Surprised her that the next arrow had gone to a child, who then saw a little puppy in a box, hidden in shadow.

When she turned to ask, the blond man had been gone. She'd put her hands in her pockets and went on her own way.

She'd shortly after met one of her boyfriends, that had been a real rush, so she had a feeling she'd been the target of one of those arrows too.

That one had lasted the longest, more than three months at least. But then he too had left.

Quaking in such fear. He at least had been completely honest.

He couldn't handle the nightmares. Whenever they where apart the dreams stopped, but whenever they were together too long…

Ashley sniffed and hugged herself closer. Curling her toes around each other. Was she so horribly marked by having the personal attentions of the boogeyman? She had been away for years and never even gone back to that old house she grew up in. Not even to drive through the town. She drove around it.

And of recent she'd transferred for her masters clear on the other side of the country! One couldn't get further from Washington State than New York.

Well she might have tried for Maine, but they didn't have any schools with her courses in them. Or at least, not with the degrees that the other schools offered. Might not have been one of the Ivy Leagues, but it was still one of the better. She'd been hoping to get into Boston, but unfortunately her application hadn't been accepted at MIT.

But New York had felt far enough away and at least she had snow, and her own apartment instead of dorming with a bunch of strangers.

It wasn't much. It had been called a 'one bedroom'. Though the bedroom was basically only divided by the fact that the bathroom was right between that space and the rest of the apartment, giving a sort of divider and no door. But the price was right and for a generally single girl, it was good enough.

The light above the old cast iron tub flickered and she found herself looking up startled, feeling her heart in her throat.

For a brief moment she thought she saw an outline of a man in the corner. Tall, foreboding. With a wide white smile and glowing eyes.

The flickering stopped and the light evened out again. There was nothing there but the shower curtain and a rack she kept her towel and shampoo on.

Shaky she got up and went back out to her living room. Cleaning out the fish bowl and putting a little Chinese meal in a box in the microwave for her dinner.

She spent the evening watching cheesy old holiday specials that started after Thanksgiving and would go on into Christmas. Munching her dinner with chopsticks. Next to her rested an old stuffed hand puppet hedgehog as she huddled under a blanket in her PJs with domo slippers on her feet.

Doing her best to forget the past and keep her fear of the darkness at bay.


	2. Chapter 2

Fear Itself

Chapter 2

Notes: Wow, I wasn't expecting so many people! Glad that you all like the story so much!

000

Ashley came into her apartment and closed the door behind her. Then flopped back against it as she dropped her bags and flipped the lock behind her. Half pushing herself off she flopped back to put the sliding bolt into place and let herself sag comically to the floor. "A cat, that's what I need, someone to come sit on my head and tell me I should feed their highness when I come home." She said to herself and turned onto her back to stare at the ugly cottage cheese on the ceiling.

Getting home had been a bit fun. She just had gotten through her second early morning class when the announcement went around that the rest of the day was going to be canceled due to the storm blowing in.

So she managed to get to the little deli connivance store on her way home. Picked up some milk, eggs, page of corn dogs, Oreos and a butt load of chocolate before they closed up shop for the storm. Over the register she saw the TV with the weather channel on saying it was going to be nasty and all that fun stuff. Most the large places would likely stay open, this was after all the North, and unlike the state her parents currently lived in, were use to having snow and dealing with it. But a small place like her local deli would want to close up so they could go be with their families.

She sighed. At least she made it to her place before the first flakes started to fall. Dropping her keys in the bowl on the table next to the door she kicked off shoes and peeled off her coat and hat, hanging those over the back of the papasan. She put her groceries away and went to her room to get on some PJs. She figured she'd sit with a book and a lantern incase the power went out. An evening of reading (after homework) with corn dogs and hot chocolate sounded lovely.

She took off her shirt and tossed it into the laundry hamper when she stopped.

Something glittered on her bed.

Slowly she went over and picked it up. A silver bracelet. One she hadn't seen since the day she left home for college.

Something she thought she'd never see.

"I was so disappointed that you forgot my gift Ashley." The girl grabbed her pillow and holding it up against her chest she spun to see a figure lounged in the arm chair in the corner of the room that she used when putting on her tall boots, although most the time he was usually filled with clean but unput away clothing.

The clothing was all neatly put away. She had a feeling it would all be so carefully organized and sorted by even color.

Nothing secret. Nothing personal. Nothing HERS.

Not with him.

The master of fear. The King of Nightmare. The Boogeyman.

"P-pitch…." She said softly backing up as he stood. Fluid as a shadow he was. One moment she saw him on the other side of the room, the next he seemed to just step out of the closet next to her. Towering over her she spun and backed up, which made her trip back on her bed and she scooted fast to the other side. Keeping the pillow clutched like it was some sort of armor. A barrier between herself and her greatest fear.

Pitch Black.

"Now now, since when did you stutter my dear?" he said leaning forward, she could see it in his eyes. How much he enjoyed scaring her. How much he loved the power over her. As if her fear was a palatable thing to him. He could smell it, taste it, and he did. Sipping upon it like a fine wine that he was carefully aging.

"Why are you here? I… thought you just went after little kids."

"Oh no lovie, it's those who Believe. Children are just easiest, but you. You are special." He backed off at least. "I thought you remembered that lesson long ago." Turning his back to her, which gave her a moment to grab a shirt and make herself decent. Hand behind his back he looked about running a finger over the shelf screwed to the wall with her favorite books and a few mementos of her childhood sat. Rubbing his fingers together as if he was analyzing just how clean it all was.

The worst Mother-in-law joke given life that was the boogeyman.

Who would believe her when she said that he was a neat freak?

Everything in its place. Everything ordered. Even her.

She pushed herself up against the headboard of her bed. She would make a run for the door but he had made sure to put himself between her and any form of exit. The power flickered and she prayed hard that it would not go out.

Would not give him more shadows to play with.

"For awhile I wondered if perhaps I would not have needed you as much as I thought I did after all, but it seems a few plans had been, set back." He growled the last and for a moment it almost looked like his hand passed, through, her book shelf.

She felt her brows knot together, did he seem a little less, substantial than last she remembered?

If he was, it didn't show when he turned and picked up the bracelet from her bed and held out his other hand to her and snapped his fingers.

Her jaw moving, feeling like a small child again. She hated this, hated how he made her feel. Helpless and young. As if all these years on her own building a life meant nothing.

He was here and she was twelve again. Not able to fight against him and she best not.

If she got too plucky, he had ways of making sure she knew just how powerless against him she was.

She held out her hand and felt his long cold fingers close over her wrist. The other hand slipping the chain of silver around it then he closed the clasp. There was a couple small charms on it. One looked like a broken bed the other like a dead burned tree. But most horribly the clasp was shaped like a heart, with a keyhole in it.

She hated this thing. Hated it with a small passion. His 'gift' to her all those years ago. He made her wear it. Dropping it in the house when she left had been she hoped the final separation she needed between her and him.

But as she pulled back her wrist, staring at the bracelet she felt her eyes sting with restrained tears. It seemed, it was all for naught and here he was, again, in her life and she was once again marked.

Why he wanted her, what his purpose, she did not know. But she so badly wished he would go away. Would get bored. Would leave her be!

It seemed though, that while she thought she had escaped, she never really had. He was able to come to her no matter where she went or how far away she had gone.

She looked up at him and he gave her a gentle smirk. A mocking expression she knew. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, like some loving mocking of a parent. "Now, enjoy the evening." He said backing up and fading into the shadows of her closet. Hands closing before himself and slowly he was gone until all that remained was his smile and the glow of his eyes staring at her "We have much to get caught up on. And if the weather forecast is anything to go by, several days in which to do so." He chuckled.

And was gone.

But Ashley curled up on herself shaking hard and fighting the tears. They were useless and he would only laugh at her.

000

"Hey Ashley, you're looking pale. Get a cold over the break?" Ashley blinked realizing that the person who flopped into the bench next to her was her English teacher.

"Oh hey, no, just haven't gotten very good sleep the last few days. Storm knocked out the power to my apartment. Made it a bit cold." The truth, partly. The other half was that Pitch made good on his promise of getting caught up with her.

Which included of course scaring her into real tears. Until she was hiding herself in the corner of her room, with only a flashlight and her hedgehog as her only comforts.

"That sucks. Did you at least get time to finish your assignments? End of term coming up soon."

She nodded "Yeah, essay all written." She held up her cd to print out the paper at the computer lab before class.

The woman smiled at her and getting up left.

Ashley sank back in the bench and pulled up her knees. Holding out her wrist so she could stare at the chain on her wrist.

It was a chain. Like a mockery of a slave's cuff. It marked her as his. And he made sure she knew this.

Whatever he wanted. Mind, body and soul she belonged to him. And she could not ever escape him.

Because he should not exist. If she said she believed in him they would only drug her, treat her as if she was crazy or delusional. It was bad enough how she got treated at times if she was to admit she believed in even just the Toothfairy.

She was too old to still be believing.

But how could she not? The world was full of creatures unseen. She would hear Santa's sleigh as he flew over sometimes. Or see others, like little humming birds, darting by on business. Holding coins or teeth, so there seemed to be more than one tooth fairy as far as she could tell. Cupid she'd seen about on his business or even others.

The Sandman orchestrating dreams, though it seemed pleasant dreams were never her's to have anymore. When she remembered her dreams at all, they were always nightmares.

She sighed rubbing her face, feeling tired and drawn when something suddenly hit her from nowhere. Blinking she realizing it was, well, a snowball. Looking around she tried to spot who did that, then gave a startled yelp as the snow on the back of her head went down the back of her collar. "COLD COLD COLD!" she squeeled and someone nearby laughed.

"Oh.. I'm so going to get you!" she found herself grinning. For a moment, all the fear drained from her as she was looking for her target.

Another ball hit her square in the face.

She blinked stunned as snow dripped off her glasses. There was more than her assailant's giggles now, now there were a couple other students heading by for their own classes. The early morning was not overly popular for classes, but they happened. And turning she saw someone leaning against a tree.

A young man, a little younger in appearance than she, in a blue hoody and well, no shoes.

He had a staff.

And for a moment she heard her own voice in her head 'come back!'

The window, the blue boy, when she was sick.

She had hardly remembered him in the passing years, but suddenly it came back to her. The boy who'd played with her through the glass. Drawing pictures with her in the frost he created on her window.

She narrowed her eyes and her smile got very wide as she carefully picked up a glob of snow from the back of the bench she'd been seated on. His attention was upon the others who were near him, as if he thought that was where her attention was centered.

The snow hitting the back of HIS head gave him a shock and her grin was positively smug as he turned wide blue eyes on her. She tossing a snow ball in her hand "Oh yes. I see you." She mouthed and feeling downright chipper she hooked up her book bag and skipped off towards the building and class. Especially with the wide eyed shock she left him. As she turned a corning though she could hear his merry laughter behind her floating on the wind like so many happy snowflakes, even she felt more like giggling.

000

"Hey!" she blinked up from her book, rubbing her nose which was chilled. Outside the library the blue boy was frosting up the windows and waving at her. "hey!" he called his smile huge as he noticed he had her attention.

"I'm studying!" she held up her book and then firmly put her nose in it. Geeze, she was use to startlement from such spirits when she spotted them, but they didn't usually start following her around like this.

"There's lots of time! Come out! I want to talk with you!" he tapped the glass making several people look up but they didn't see him.

She narrowed her eyes and held up the book more firmly. He couldn't wait a bloody hour? If he had things he had to do, then he should go about them then! They could always talk later, or better yet, not at all.

It was likely best if not at all. She had a feeling that her little stunt with the snowball was a bad idea, but at the time it had just seemed like a fun idea to see his stunned face when she nailed him with the snowball.

Perfect revenge for getting snow down her collar!

Now though, after having time to think about it.

Oh no, she really should not have done that. Should not have gotten his attention.

She had a feeling Pitch would not approve.

And while she didn't go seeking that one's approval, she also tried not to earn his disapproval.

That was by far the worst thing she could do.

There was silence for a bit, Ashley figured maybe the boy had gotten tired of trying to get her attention and had moved on. To… well do whatever it was he usually did. He kind of reminded her of snow, so maybe he was a winter spirit of some sort? Shrugging it off the raven haired girl went back to her studied. Ashley had another class in about an hour and then little more excuse to stay away from her apartment and Pitch.

She heard the sound of fingers rubbing against the glass and didn't look up. She was not going to give him the satisfaction!

"Hey.. Are you Ashley?" a voice said by her and she blinked looking up at one of the clerks working at the library.

"Um, yeah.." she said hesitantly.

The young woman pointed towards the library window. It was covered in frost and had a message scrawled upon it.

_Catch ya in the parking lot Ashley_

And all stuffed within a frilled out heart like it was some note from a goofy boyfriend.

She growled as a couple people nearby noticing her reaction and the message giggled. The clerk gave her a sympathetic look. "I'll go wipe it off." she said to Ashley who sighed and closed her books. She was not going to be getting any study done now it seemed.

"Thanks, sorry he's a bit of a pain."

"At least he cares."

Ashley snorted and packing up her messenger bag she headed outside.

There was a tunnel beneath the road that led to the campus parking lot and that was where she found the blue boy leaning against the wall and playing with snowflakes.

"Right, so since you feel the need to ruin my study time with pseudo love notes written on the library windows. What do you want?"

"You can actually see me?" he said and practically flitted light as a bird until he was close enough to near be nose to nose with the girl. It irritated her that for all he appeared younger than her he was still taller. OK she was a shorty, but seriously! It was like the world wanted to rub her five foot nothing frame in her face.

"Yeah." She said slowly, wondering if she screwed up and he was just some random weird ghost instead of a winter spirit. She didn't normally see ghosts.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked growing more excited.

"Er.. the personification of some aspect of winter?" she said hesitantly.

"What?" he blinked at her.

"Well, I mean it's what you look like, admittedly you aren't as easy to place as like, a toothfairy or like the Easterbunny." He seemed to find this comparison hugely amusing by his chuckle. "But I mean, you play with frost and …" she stopped, oh! "Jack frost?" she asked, like the song! '_Jack Frost nipping at your nose…_" though he looked nothing like the old stop motion animation.

He did a flip and bounced about like an ADHD kitten on speed. Laughing so that he drew a few giggles out of her even as she felt uneasy in the pit of her belly.

"Oh wow! I mean, the kids starting to see me that is cool, but.. you! You're not a kid! Yet, here you are!" he grabbed her shoulders and she managed to step back lifting her hand to ward him off. His hands were so cold, and it suddenly put her of mind and she found herself eyeing the shadows. What if Pitch showed up?

Oh gods, she would be in trouble. So much trouble.

He didn't seem to notice her unease at first, then the winter sprite looked at her with confusion then he saw the bracelet on her wrist. "Where did you get that?" he asked her and she saw what he was looking at, saw him start to reach for her wrist.

Covering it and the bracelet she backed up a couple steps. "Look, please… just pretend you didn't see me! Please!" and as he looked at her in shock she managed to dash past him and kept running until she reached her car.

Then she was in it and getting herself away as fast as she could manage. At the moment, she wasn't interested in her last class. She could skip one class.

Because she needed to get away. To hide.

Fear gripped her to her core. Squeezing her insides like a vice. Making her heart race and her vision blur. And she could not make herself calm down until she was seated in the darkest corner of a coffee shop she could find. A warm mug of cocoa in her palms, warding off the frozen fear in her core.

She bit her lip and fought off the tears that threatened to surface.

Why, why must she be so afraid?


	3. Chapter 3

Fear Itself

Chapter 3

Notes: Here we go, another chap. Thanks for the reviewers! I haven't gotten this much attention so fast on a fic before. It's really made me happy that you like it! Thanks!

Just remember, creative people cannot live in a void, so please review the stories you read! Nothing makes an author happier than to know people enjoy their work!

000

Jack Frost sat in a window at Santa's workshop. Staring out over the landscape outside while Santa worked on putting the finishing touches on a new toy idea he had.

"You've been unusually quiet Jack." North said not looking up from his work other than a brief glance from under heavy brows. "Aren't you usually busy, snow days I believe?"

"Eh, I just finished a week long one and a few others, but" he sighed and shifted to dangle his feet against the wall and lean on his staff. Frost spreading where his fingers touched. "I, met someone and something about it, disturbs me."

The bearded man chuckled "Cupid wasn't involved was he?"

"What? No! Nothing like that!" he said eyes widening in slight panic. North laughed. Evil bastard.

But he put down his tools and gave Jack his full attention "So, why don't you tell me about it then Jack." The older Guardian invited the winter sprite.

Jack paused "Well, it started the other day I saw this lady."

"Oh?" one of his brows arched and there was a smile playing about his lips.

"North, I'm about to give you the worst case of ice down your pants if you don't stop." He warned.

North chuckled at him and after watching him to make sure he didn't pull anything Jack continued. "No, I mean, when I saw her she was looking rather depressed, so I thought it was the beautiful day everyone else was being so happy, why couldn't she have a bit of fun to? So, I lobbed a snow ball at her. She perked up and well, when I thought she was going to hit someone else, she threw it at me."

The older man raised both his brows. "She saw you?"

Jack nodded "Even said as much. She knew what I was, and even who I was. Anyway, she took off so I followed her a bit until she talked to me. I didn't get much from her, because well, she started to panic. And." He bit his lip and looked down "She had this, bracelet on, it… it looked like a maniacal to me and it felt like Pitch."

North's face was very serious. "Are you sure?"

"No!" Jack banged his head on the glass behind him in a slight rhythmic feel "Worst part is aside from her being utterly terrified and warning me away from her, she felt familiar. As if, I met her before, a long time ago." He had been lost in thought this whole time. Trying to place were he had seen her before. Something about that smile when she had lobbed the snowball at him, her wide brown eyes and black hair half covering her face.

There was a nagging familiarity. Nothing to do with Santa's teasing. It was as if he should know her from somewhere.

And the fact she saw. Hell she believed. For her it as a matter of course that he was Jack Frost. She even mentioned Bunny and Tooth. With an air of normalcy, so it was clear she believed not just in him, but all of them.

Definitely rare in an adult. Oh there were those who said they believed, usually to humor children in their life but for ones who retain the belief of their childhood, that was very rare.

The feel of Pitch though all over her, and the fear in her eyes. She was shaking to her boots when he touched her.

Something was wrong and if Pitch was involved, he wasn't sure it was good. It had not been that long since they defeated him. Maybe this was just something leftover from when he tried killing every child's belief in the whole world?

But, it seemed he didn't try to kill her's. She still believed. And from the way she acted, she never once hesitated in that belief. She admitted that she saw them all.

"Jack?"

Jack blinked "what?" from the way North was standing with hands on his hips this wasn't the first time he'd tried to get the distracted boy's attention.

"Do you have a name?" he asked him.

"Name?"

"The girl you addled boy!" he was looking highly amused again.

"Oh Ashley. Sorry I wasn't able to get her last name, I managed to overhear someone else calling her that." He said hurriedly before North could start teasing him again.

"Right." And he went to the side of the room and pulled out a filing cabinet "There are a lot of Ashley's in the world, it was quite a common name a few years ago, so this might take a little bit. About how old would you say she is?" he began sorting though naughty and nice lists. Older records.

"Um well she was in college, so.. at least twenty. Hard to say she was so utterly tiny. I think Tooth might give her a run for her money on who's taller." He hopped over and looked into the case with curiosity. So many pictures with names.

"Heh, she sounds adorable." North said as he began pulling out a few likely candidates "Have a look at these and tell me if any of them are her."

Jack began sorting through files and looking hard at the pictures. A couple close, but this one had brown hair, not black. This one's eyes were grey not brown.

Finally he paused as North pulled out a new file and immediately grabbed it from him before he could set it down.

Ashley Tompson. "This is her!"

It was unusually slim in comparison to the other files.

North took it back and flipped through "Huh, never on the naughty list, but I never delivered to her." He said and turned a page "Ah ha! Her family did not celebrate! But good people all the same and," he paused "Her file just ends when she's eleven. Like she died, or disappeared. It starts up again when she's eighteen and continues for a few years, but." He turned to the last page "She's gone again."

"Huh?" Jack leaned over to stare at the file.

"Gone, missing, disappeared, ischyezli." North said and dropped the folder.

Jack picked it back up and looked over it. Then he felt his eyebrows go up into his hairline "Hey wait! North! That bracelet! The maniacal! Could it be that Pitch has made her invisible to us?"

"Now why would he do something like that it would make hardly any sense unless she… mi lord…" he suddenly covered his mouth with his hand and his eyes wide he left his work room.

"Wha-wait! North, hey Santa! Where are you going?" Jack chased after the other Guardian who was marching off with determined boot stomps. Jack ducked around elves and yeti as they did their own work, many pausing to see where the big man was heading.

Then he came to the observatory. Jack hadn't really been by this room since North had ordered him tossed into a bag and then through a portal.

North looked up at the sky and the moon. "Man in Moon, do you know anything about this girl, Ashley Tompson?" he asked.

For a long moment there was nothing. Jack wondered if this was another 'figure it out for yourself' type answers.

Then slowly a glow filled the room.

Then nothing.

North blinked as did Jack.

"Well? I didn't hear anything." Jack commented with mild irritation.

"Me neither." North replied but was staring about the room until he saw something "Ah ha!" He said heading to the side and a glow along the wall. Then he looked both scared and stunned.

"What?" Jack was beginning to feel like a broken record. He came up beside Santa and stared at the glow, that was starting to fade.

Over a door, and next to it a lock.

"What?" now he was starting to sound like a petulant child as he was just wanting to know what was going on.

"This is very bad."

"What is?"

"Pitch has found the Gate and Key."

Jack stared at him for a long moment, "And, this is… bad?"

"Bad, more than bad! It should be impossible! A gate and key have never been born together! There is usually just one or the other, not both. And if Pitch has both of them in his hands." he shook his head. Arms crossed along the barrel of his chest.

"What do they do?" Jack was feeling a bit confused by all this, he'd never heard anything about a key, or door or gate or whatever. And North is talking about like two people, he only met one. So does this mean there is also someone else out there?

"Well a Gate is a kind of doorway, a kind of midiary between our world and the human. They bypass belief and can have more direct access. The Key on the other hand, really doesn't have any special power for themselves, they actually unlock and enhance the Gate, making it more powerful and actually offering access to the power for another to use."

"Wait wait wait!" Jack held up a hand his brows frowned and head down. He could feel a headache coming on "So, you are saying that the Gate is someone who can on their own just see and understand our world on some, deeper level, and the Key lets someone else access this?"

"Exactly!" North touched his nose and pointed to Jack "Now, imagine Pitch with direct access to everything that makes us Guardians. He could very possibly rival the Man in the Moon!"

Jack sat down on the floor, just sort of collapsed bonelessly as the enormity of this hit him. "How the hell? I mean, what has been done in the past?"

"Nothing." North shrugged "The Key been locked up a long time in a tower where she could not escape and the Gates never encountered one before."

"The key been locked.. WAIT you mean the key was imprisoned because of what he was?"

"She. Well, not completely against her will as far as I know. This mind you was before my time, The Key is among the eldest of any of us. Possibly as old as Time himself. And since the birth of the first Gate, she's been in her tower."

"So, is she still in her tower then?" Jack asked.

North frowned "I, don't know. I mean I do not know the details of how she may leave it."

"Well, where is this tower? I mean, if Pitch only has one of them we're safe, right?"

North paused and nodded "Yes, we should be safe. Its, getting close to my holiday, so here." He pulled out one of his portal globes "You go to Key's Tower Jack, make sure she's still there. If she is, we'll get some guards on the tower and everything should be alright."

Jack held the portal and then frowned "What about the girl, Ashley?"

"We can't do anything for her Jack. She is after all, not a child. The Guardians protect childhood, she's an adult. All we can do is hope that if we keep Pitch from the Key, then he'll leave her alone."

"But, as an adult, shouldn't she stop believing in Pitch? I mean I thought it was some sort of automatic thing?" Jack turned the snow globe in his hands leaning on the staff he held between his arm and shoulder.

"Gates, don't get the luxury of forgetting such things of childhood. For them, they always remember, they always believe. Only a Key can lock that away."

"And the Key is, locked away as well." Jack said softly. "Its… not fair."

Santa reached out and touched Jack's shoulder. "I know, but not everything in this world is fair. Unless Pitch is threatening the world and thus the children, there is just nothing we can do for her."

"I, just can't help feeling we're letting her down." Jack said looking up at the bigger man. North came down to closer to Jack's height, looking him in the eyes.

"Thing is Jack, we have. It's not any of our faults. We never knew that Pitch had her at all. But our position is very clear, and unless something else happens. This is all we can do for her. Make sure the Key is safe Jack."

Jack took a breath, trying to control himself "Where do I go?"

"Key's Tower."

Holding up the globe he saw the snow inside swirl. There was a faint image inside as he focused on the place he was to go, but the snow still swirled.

"Throw it and go Jack!" North told him.

And pulling back his arm he threw the globe. The portal opened and taking a breath he jumped through.

000

Pitch wasn't there when Ashley got home. For which she was grateful. A moment's reprieve. To let herself gather her wits about her and hopefully not reveal her encounter with Jack Frost.

She got herself a soda out of the frig and sat in her nest like papasan. Curling herself under blankets and pillows and hiding from the world. The chain around her wrist felt cold and evil. The intent of it as she always felt it was. Something she did not want. She wanted nothing from Pitch, yet he continued to make her take from him and he took and took and took from her.

After the last few days he was definitely more solid. Not just able to touch her and her things, but manipulate other things as well.

And he had new toys over when she was younger. Real Nightmares. Black sand and horrible gazes. Who trapped her and pranced as they devoured her fear. He adding to it until all was pitch black.

There was no light. There was no hope. There was nothing and no escape.

In that moment of complete and utter despair she felt something. As if someone wrapped her in the tightest hug and filled all the hurt with cotton made of clouds.

She sat up in shock looking around herself. It was weird, she felt… rested. Still panicked and depressed but felt as if maybe this endless tunnel may have some light.

Ashley just had to find it.

A sudden gasp she clasped her hand around her wrist and that horrible silver bracelet. Ripping it off she flung it to bang against the wall on the other side.

It didn't hit. A hand catching it. "What have we here? You should be more appreciative of gifts Ashley my girl." Pitch stepped from the shadows of the wall and looked at her. She still clung to her wrist and shook under his gaze.

"It was burning. I'm sorry, it just hurt."

"Burning." He seemed confused and held out his hand to her. Hesitantly she reached her hand back and he took hold of her wrist and looked at it. There was outlined the chain on her flesh, low welts of a very minor burn.

"So it did, how… interesting." He said "Well no matter, we will just find a new gift then for you." He said pocketing the bracelet. She was glad he didn't force it back on her. A small miracle at least. But he also was not letting go of her wrist.

She gave a tug. Trying to pull away. Instead he only pulled her close and pinned her against him, a mockery of the opening of a tango. His eyes staring deeply into hers.

"Don't you dare try and block her from me." He said.

She blinked "Block who? I'm not."

"Because if you do, I will kill her and then were will you be? You know they will only give you one place to go back to. One place." His grin was horribly nasty and Ashley was quaking in horrible terror. Not know what he was doing or why he was threatening her like this. What had she done wrong?

And suddenly he released her. Ashley falling back into her chair and curling herself small. "Now Ashley, how is your homework?" he steepled his fingers together, smiling as if nothing had happened.

Ashley's lip shook and she gulped. Not knowing what to do or what he was going to do to her.

She just, felt so…

Cold.

End Note:

Ischyezli means 'was gone' or 'disappeared' 'vanished' in Russian.


	4. Chapter 4

Fear Itself

Chapter 4

Notes: you guys are just, blowing me away. Seriously.

I'm just… Honored you like my story this much.

Thanks.

000

Jack came out of the portal and right into a wind that sent him flying backwards. If the portal had not closed right behind him he would have been blown right back into Santa's workshop.

As it was he managed to curl himself enough that he stopped being blown about by the wind and squinted between his arms in front of his face trying to find the tower.

The wind raged and he could hear the voices. This was not the wind that carried him about back home.

This wind, was not of earth!

It demanded to know who he was, where he came from. What his business was.

"I'm Jack Frost, a Guardian! I was sent! By Nicolas St. North and the Man in the Moon. The lord of Nightmares has the Gate and seeks the Key. Please! I just need to make sure one half of them are –" he paused as suddenly the wind stopped, and looking around he saw nothing but white in all directions "safe…" he trailed off as his eyes fell on a tall tower. He could see a figure standing on top of it and with a flit he found a light enough breeze to blow him in the right direction.

When he came to the tower what he found sitting on top was, a Golden Lion. Oh, it had wings too.

"Key?" he asked hesitantly, the way North had talked he thought that perhaps he was going to be meeting a lady or such, and well this was a maned lion, not even a lioness.

"I was her Protector." The lion told him and turned around to go into the tower "What has the Dark One done?" his pads fell onto the tower stones and after a long pause Jack let himself land on the flagstones as well his staff over his shoulder and tucking his other hand into his pocket. He looked around and followed the lion. It seemed it was what it wanted him to do.

The lions voice was deep and hallow. Almost dead sounding. It unnerved Jack, because he had a feeling this was a creature that unlike himself, and unlike the other Guardians, was never human.

"I'm not sure what Pitch is up to, but I know he has gotten his hands on a girl that according to Santa and the MiM is the Gate. He may also know where the Key is." Jack looked around as he went into the tower. This top chamber looked like a bedroom. There were many windows, and he noticed none of them showed any of the views he saw coming in. One had crashing waves of the ocean over rocks, another showed a maple forest in fall with their leaves all red, orange and golden. And still another window had, well, it had Jack's Pond in winter. He paused looking through this window.

The Lion stopped by a mirror near a wardrobe. "Key is no longer here. She managed to earn her freedom."

"What?" Jack been finding himself saying this a lot lately. He moved fast over to the lion. "But if she's not here, where is she? How did she escape?"

"The mirror will answer all, simply look through it."

Jack paused and looked into the mirror. All he saw was himself reflected "I… don't see anything."

"Wait and look." The lion said and Jack turned his eyes back to the mirror.

After a few more moments. Jack was about to say something when suddenly he paused.

It was like his hair grew longer, then his face thinner. His eyes paled from their bright icy blue to a silvery blue color. His skin white as his hair that almost seemed to blend with his skin. Reaching out he touched the mirror, a touch of warmth spread.

And he realized he was no longer looking at himself. He was staring at the slim form of Key.

"They took my name." her voice was so sad, sorrowful. "They took my name and trapped me here. Because of a chance. A singular chance that my power could be used to destroy the realms. I open the Gates between the worlds, but no more. They took half my power and flung it into the world. So that it floats lost among the realms."

"Who did?"

"Time, and others. They called me an anomaly. A danger. So they stripped me of everything and put me here. But all cells must have a Key and because of my Nature I would become that Key in time. So they gave my cell rules. I would hold the keys to every door here save one. That lock was given to another. Always they would put prisoners here. And I could choose to free them, since I could unlock their doors. But only they could walk out the front gate, and only they could then choose to free me. But then they made it so that when they cross that barrier they would forget any promise they made to me. So that they would leave and leave me behind."

Jack felt her sadness and knelt with her as she sank her hand touching his on the mirror. "How did you finally leave?"

"Lion, my protector. The one they put here for me. My jailor, my friend, my love, my guardian." Jack felt such an overwhelming warmth, care, and almost turned his head away from the mirror, part of his mind going 'him? He's like so stoic he might as well be a stone!' "He stayed and one day realized that the rules applied to him as well. They had not thought that the one they put here for me would be able to pass the door and unlike the others would not be tempted to forget his promise as to forget me would be to forget his duty. So he turned and held his hand to me." The mirror twisted and Jack paused as the lion in this scene was not the winged golden animal seated by the mirror facing him. This was a man as tall and alien as the woman he stared at. Against her white he was a golden statue. As fierce and dangerous as the words of the bible about angels. He carried a great sword in one hand. Going out the front gate he paused by the strange pillar topped with a crystal that glowed with a soft luminance. He stared at it for a long time and Key stood at the entrance. Holding her breath and holding her hands to her mouth. Shaking like a leaf, terrified that he would not turn.

That he would forget her. Forget his duty.

And she would be forever alone.

He turned and even Jack was taken aback by the utter warmth in his eyes the smile that crossed his features making him look less fierce.

He held his hand out to her "It's ok, you can come."

And with a sob she charged into freedom and his arms.

"But the others came." Jack was staring into her eyes for a moment as the scene twisted and many faces that Jack did not recognize came into view. The lion man held Key tightly. Holding his sword against these others. "They knew that one day the safeguards may fail and were ready to come back and put me back in my cell. My Love flung me towards the portal." He pushed her behind him, holding his sword against the others.

The moment she touched the pillar the glow above grew larger and more brilliant. Her last view as she reached back towards the one who had been by her side all this time was his sword clashing against Father Time and then falling as another struck from behind.

Jack was staring at Key again who looked at him with such pain his own eyes filled with moisture. It.. wasn't fair! She had done nothing wrong. They had just all been…

Scared.

He found himself frowning. "What happened to you?"

"I was flung into the realm were my Gate had just been born." She told him. "I was lost, confused and no one could see me. The days of old when we were all believed in have long gone and without the belief there is so little real magic. Just pockets here and there, but it's hard to find and harder to hold onto. I was growing weak. My tower had been outside of all the realms. A place between and thus it never changed. But here, there was nowhere for me to hide and I knew I would either die, or they would come and take me back to my cell and everything would be for naught. Lion's sacrifice and my escape."

The scene swirled and he saw her, cold and lost. It was very late and early spring. Scared by traffic and things she'd only seen in her windows that showed her scenes of all the realms. Since time began.

The silvery being felt something. That drew her to a hospital. Inside she wandered passed rooms and nurses until she came to a room where a woman was fighting to give birth.

As she came in the baby was born, but did not cry out. Jack saw her look in curiosity as the child was nearly completely blue.

Doctors left the new mother's side. All rushing to try and help the struggling infant.

"They never told me that the Gates never live longer than a few years. Without magic in the world, without me, they were all doomed to die young." Key's voice said and Jack closed his eyes briefly.

"My little girl… my first little girl, and I don't get to keep her." The woman on the table said softly. Key had looked at her in startlemeant. Saw the tired acceptance.

And she turned to the infant. And Walked towards the doctors, then through them.

There was a brief light and a sudden cry. A new baby's cry.

Jack looked at the woman on the table and the look of wonder on her face. One of the doctors came over with the baby and laid the squalling infant on her chest. "It's a girl Mrs. Tompson."

"I know." The woman said softly and began petting the child who was quickly gaining proper color. Who opened silvery eyes that would soon turn brown. "My Ashley…"

"I thought perhaps if I joined my Gate we would become one. That we would be a single person again. That I would be whole. To have back my Name, my power."

Jack stared at the new mother and her child. The child that was the Gate.

And now was the Key as well.

"We are not one person, but they cannot find me. And now, both of us can live in this realm. Both of us have a chance at being whole."

Time shifted and there was a little dark haired girl in footy pajamas and curled with a hedgehog toy her nose pressed to a window.

Jack nearly released the window. He knew this!

He'd seen a little girl who was sick and had tried to cheer her up. Making her breath frost the windows and drawing pictures with her in the resulting canvas. This was, Ashley?

Soon he saw her giggling as he played with her through the window. Unknown to him the shadows coalesced under the pine tree in the yard behind them. He had not realized that the child had actually been able to see him. She had been horribly sick and was losing coherent thought so he thought she was going to curl up and sleep when the other children came down the road about to go sledding.

So he had turned to the new distraction and followed the other children to play with them and let the girl rest.

But she had seen him go without a good bye, and had run to the doorway. The cold had hit her like a mallet and made her crumple.

Under the pine tree Pitch had come into view. He walked a crossed the snow to the little girl and leaned down over her. His eyes taking her in and Jack knew that he knew what he was looking at, while Jack had been clueless as to why he had been drawn to the girl.

He brushed back her hair and then along a draft of cold air sent a chill of fear into the house, that then found the mother and she rushed the girl off to the hospital.

She had been very sick, her fever had spiked.

And Pitch had saved her.

But Jack, Jack had been the one to endanger her.

And led Pitch right to her.

"This had been my fault, this whole situation. She had believed and I left her, left you, to nearly die."

He saw Key again looking into his gaze "No Jack, our fever had already been spiking before this. If you had not come, we would have only gone to sleep, and both would have died before Mother found us." She said "very likely at least, it is hard to see all the 'might have beens'. It was not your fault. The results had ended with the Dark One having found us, but that in its own way would have been inevitable. He had been trying to find us his whole existence. Ones like him were the reason I was split and why Gates died while I lived on in my Tower unable to be with my sisters. Him and ones like him. Ones who desired the light without knowing what it meant to hold. Only seeing their perceptions of power."

"What where you meant for?" Jack asked her.

"I was the connection between all our realms and all our universes. I let the magic flow and there where many of us then. We did not need belief to live because magic was in the air. But without the magic, the Golden Age was to disappear eventually and few of us remain. Only the strongest, and those who figured out how to use the snippets of magic created by belief. And ones like you, born of man." It was as if he felt a hand along his cheek. "You are so special Jack." She said softly and smiled at him. It was the same smile that he'd seen Ashley turn to him. A mischievous girl.

"The Man in the Moon did not know what he made when he gave you life." She told him. "Please, you must save Ashley." Her eyes tear up. "She is my little sister."

"But what about you?" he had a feeling it was as if he was trying to hang onto someone who stood at the edge of a building.

"I have one sacrifice left in me if I must. I will not be imprisoned again. I can't take being imprisoned again. Please Jack, tell me, does my Lion still live?"

"Yes, he showed me the mirror." Jack told her.

One hand went to her mouth and silvery tears fell down her cheeks, "Tell him I love him. Please. Until the end of time and the last breathe of the realms. I will love him."

"Wait, what are you going to do? Key!" Jack felt a rising panic.

"I cannot let Pitch have us, as we are we can be controlled. He has ingrained too much fear into our hearts over too long a period. We fight still but it grows harder and if I do not act soon, it will be too late and he will have and kill our Light. Then he would plunge this realm and likely after all realms into darkness, fear and no hope. Until the very things he himself fears are all he knows and he himself is lost along with all of us."

"No, Key don't act yet! I'll come save you. KEY!" Key smiled at him. Such sadness.

And no hope.

The mirror faded and Jack slammed his other fist against it as all he saw was himself. "KEY!" he sunk down, tears dropping to the stone floor. It was as if he was watching a part of himself die.

Seeing his sister standing on the pond again, looking at him with such fear in her eyes, such lost hope. Who thought she was going to die.

"I won't let you." He said softly. There had to be some fairness in this all! There HAD to be!

Because then, what was he trying to protect at all if he couldn't help a child he failed once already?

He stood and looked at the Lion. "How much did you hear?"

"Nothing, this was a private conversation for yourself only. The mirror shows things but only what one is meant to see. And for me the mirror is blocked. As part of my punishment." His golden gaze did not change, his voice did.

But now Jack could see the pain. This proud warrior would not show himself vulnerable to another. He was never allowed. But when one knew him better he knew how to find it. It was kind of like understanding Bunnymund.

"I talked to Key and she is about to do something incredibly stupid. We have to go. NOW."

"I cannot. As punishment I have been cursed to remain here, as she once did." The lion's tail twitched.

Jack frowned "Under the same rules?" he asked.

The lion's head tilted in accent.

"Then I can release you." Jack told him.

"It is not that easy. You can make a promise to me but when you are presented with the portal, they make offers to you. The others who guard this place. To forget all they will give you anything you could want."

"The only thing I want is to help you!" Jack said his hand closing tightly on his staff. Ice spreading further.

"We shall see. As it is, unless you brought another Portal, there is no other way out of this realm." He told him and getting up he walked to the door.

Not outside, but into the tower.

Frowning Jack followed and found them walking down a long stairway. Doors all along. He realized cells. Some of them held things in them. Many where incredibly dark things. Others held sad and tired looking people. "What have they done?"

"Each committed some crime or another. This is their punishment and part of mine. As each in these cell offer hope of escape, and I offer hope of freedom for them as well. Freedom for all, but until there is no keykeeper here there will always be those trapped."

"So, if you are set free, so are they?"

The lion nodded.

"The good ones, and the bad ones?"

"You have no lived as long as I young Winter Chaos. There is no good or evil in these realms."

"Hey, Pitch is evil!"

"Is he? Or is he only acting as is part of his nature?" the lion looked over his shoulder at Jack. "Darkness, fear, the bump in the night. Once he was a force for what you would call good."

"How would fear be good?" Jack said his eyebrow up and knowing his face reflected his disbelief.

"Once your realm was far more dangerous than it is now. When more of us existed. For the humans it was safer if they did not go out at night or go too far from their homes and villages. Bandits, and creatures like trolls and ogres that only now remain as myths. The one you called Pitch and others like him kept the humans close to their homes. Kept them safe. Theirs was a fear that was right. But without Key's full power, the magic and belief faded from our worlds and all the Nightmare Lords began to die and fade away. Until in your realm only one remains. And he has to do more than he was meant to do. He has to find ways around the ways he use to work in the past, and in him is the same terrifying and real fear that he too will fade away and then none will remain." the lion paused and looked at Jack. Next to an arched door beyond which Jack could see the pillar from Key's vision. The Portal. "There can be light without Darkness." He told him "How can one recognize bravery without fear? How does one know to avoid the dark places and the real horrors that lay within without the Boogeyman to warn them and teach them these lessons?"

Jack was silent. It was as if in a single short time all he believed was changed and altered. His whole world tossed into chaos and he didn't know who was good or bad anymore. But he did know that if Pitch was acting out of his own fears, then he was wrong. The way he was trying to solve his own problems was hurting everyone.

Including himself.

Jack felt weird that in reality, he wasn't just trying to save Key and Ashley, he was trying to save Pitch too.

Yeah, he really needed to not think too hard on that one.

"What would happen, if Key died?" Jack asked the lion.

He tilted his shaggy head "For a time things would go on, but without the Key, no more Gates would be born and the power they held would be lost. All our realms would grow further than they have now and then eventually, without the interchange of magic and power, everything would fade. For your realm the humans would not be able to channel their belief. Your Guardians would all disappear and die and then in the end, so would they."

"Everyone?"

"And everything. With no interchange of power and life everything would fade to nothing. It would just, all become nothing. Like it was in the beginning, before Time and Space existed."

Jack bit his lip. "I think Key plans on killing herself to stop Pitch from gaining access to her and Ashley. Because it's the only out she sees."

He glanced at the lion who had gone still. "She said… she would love you until the realms were no more."

The great beast lowers his head and for all that he seemed like a golden statue Jack came to recognize that horrible crushing grief.

That hopeless tired loss.

He'd seen it before. In a mother's face who knew that her daughter was going to die. Before the doctors even told her that her child was a daughter.

He took a breath and took a step towards the opening. "Do not look back Jack, not until after the portal has made their offer. Else you will become trapped here as well and neither of us will be able to leave again."

Jack nodded. He took another step.

And he didn't look back.

000

End notes: was going to go with Ashley, but in the end she didn't have anything to say right yet. Jack on the other hand is a man on a mission!

Alright, so hope I made sense and didn't contradict too confusingly.


	5. Chapter 5

Fear Itself

Chapter 5

Notes: and things really are going fast with this story. We're reaching the end of it soon! Almost wish it could have turned into one of my epic long stories, but it doesn't seem to be that way.

000

Ashley slept in a corner of her room. The only place that still seemed to have light. Curled up with a childhood toy and a battery powered lantern still on beside her. Her home felt freezing, as cold as outside and she had no blanket. Nothing to create shadows deep enough to allow Pitch near her.

She got up and slowly went about her day. Cleaning up, gathering her books and homework and going to school. Like a zombie. There were messages blinking on her answering machine that were unlistened to and unanswered.

She couldn't bring herself to care. Everything was so cold. Inside and out.

She was hanging on desperately to the last shards of hope and light inside her but even that was fading away. Soon there would be nothing but fear. Nothing but Darkness.

Only Pitch Black.

Leaning against the library wall she found tears on her cheeks and as she reached up and touched them her fingers came away with an odd silvery sheen.

_I'm so sorry._

Ashley sat up and looked around trying to find the source of the voice.

"Who is that?"

_I failed us both._

"What? Who are you? What do you want?"

_I wish I could have been a better sister for you. You deserved so much more._

"You're scaring me... Pitch? Is that you?" Ashley pulled back into herself. This was for some reason scaring her more than normal. This sweet feminine voice in her head. It was terrifying her because some part of her seemed to instinctively know that this was a real danger to her.

_I'm sorry Ashley, I am. I had hoped we could grow up, fall in love, have children. I really would have liked to see that. Remember when we use to have tea parties? You were so little. Missing half your teeth and impishly tying them to the bedpost to make it 'more of a challenge' for the tooth fairies._

Ashley was still, she remembered tying her teeth to bits of fishing line so it would be invisible. She woke up seeing one of the little fairies tugging on the tooth and oh boy had they given her a chewing out! She had giggled the whole time.

And woke up the next morning with her face drawn up with marker looking more like an Easter egg instead of money under her pillow.

Still worth it in her opinion.

"How did you know that?" she asked softly. Her arms crossing and hugging herself tight.

_In a way, I am You. You are Me. We were meant to be one and instead ended up two because of others fears. _

_I'm sorry I failed in protecting you. It took everything I had to just keep us both alive. _

"Alive…" Ashley sat down and then pulled her knees up "I wish I wasn't alive."

_It's not fair, it's… just not fair. I hate being so powerless! But, there is only one way to escape. I, hope that the one I told about you will come soon, he can save you. He'll protect you. _

"What.. What are you talking about?" she asked softly.

_If I am no more than no one will ever be able to hurt you. And if I do this right, you will live._

"What do you mean?" she was repeating herself and feeling more confused by the second.

_Its okay Ashley, it will be alright soon. I promise. _

And the voice faded, and something in Ashley told her that this was bad. That this wasn't how it should work.

That she needed that voice.

But she didn't know what to do. Where to go, or how to change things.

"Please, come back… come back… please." She whispered feeling young, alone, vulnerable and pulling up her knees close to herself crying lost and alone and wondering if she was just finally going mad.

000

Jack kept going forward until he found himself by the pillars. One hand holding his staff the other in his pocket he looked up at the glowing source on top and he could hear voices in his head. So many voices until it was hard to think who he was, or what he was doing.

He tighten his jaw and focused. There was a girl out there that needed him. People that depended on him.

People that Believed in him.

He wasn't going to abandon his duty as a Guardian. It was what he died once for and what he was born to do.

"Jack… I'm scared."

And suddenly he was standing on that icy pond again. Before him was his sister. And the ice was breaking under their feet.

What was going on?

And there was a kind of glow.

The portal could take him where he wanted to go.

Even then…

And he could change the outcome. He could save her and live himself.

He didn't have to fall into the ice. He could escape that icy grip, the years of loneliness.

"It's ok!" he told his little sister. The little girl staring at him with such fear "We're going to play a game." He was acting on auto pilot. There was that glow, it was hard to think. All he knew for a moment was that he could do this. He could.

_Come … back…_ a tiny girl's voice. Not his sister.

Another child only this one he failed.

No… "NO! This already happened! I won't change the outcome! YOU WILL NOT UNMAKE WHAT I AM!" he had not failed his sister. He had saved her. She lived and for all he had not remembered her and was not there when she grew older and died. He had saved her when she needed him most.

He had not failed her.

But, there was another little girl he had failed.

The scene changed and instead of facing his sister he faced a little girl with a window pane between them. Drawing snowflakes and ravens in the frost made from her breath.

And here was his chance to save her. To undo that failure.

But, what about later? Well if he didn't leave her now she would never meet Pitch.

Right?

But he was forgetting something.

Something important. A key piece of information.

_If you had not come, we would have only gone to sleep, and both would have died before Mother found us._

Another voice and suddenly he remember with clarity.

"Key."

Fairness.

He could not fail them! Yes he could go back, change this scene and make it so that it never happened the way it did, that Ashley was never terrified by Pitch, but would it really be better? What if as Key said she just curled up and went to sleep then died of her fever before anyone found her?

Would that in the end, do the same thing he was trying to stop now?

And he shook his head "No. This is not what I want either."

And Jack was standing before the pillar. Staring up at the glow and he grinned, flipping around on one heel and rocking back to give the lion a bright smile "Yo, you going to stand about there all day or we gonna go save ourselves some damsels?"

The lion was staring at him stunned, and slowly put one paw forward, slowly as if expecting to be stopped.

Then he was not. He started coming forward, slowly at first. Then faster.

And his shape, form, it all began to blur and shift.

Then as he stepped next to Jack he was tall. That golden angelic Protector. "Let us go then, before the others show up and try to stop us."

"Yeah well if they try they are messing with Guardian Business." Jack told him and turned back to the portal. "Right you windbag! Take me where I REALLY want to go."

The portal opened and he could see Santa's workshop. "After you" he mockingly gave the lion a bow, just in case the stupid thing would close after Jack went through.

The golden man rolled his eyes and went through the portal closely followed by Jack.

On the other side the Yetis had all stopped their work and were staring with rather large eyes not sure what was going on.

"Hey guys, don't worry, he's with me." And Jack poked the Protector and headed for Santa's office. "Let's check the big guy and then we are going to have to move. But I think we need the rest of the Guardians. This, is going to be big."

"I can find this 'big guy' and explain. You will know where Key is. Go to her now. We have no time."

"Well I could, but the fastest way to go is by portal, and I would need one of North's portals."

"Then get one!"

"Hey chill, I'll handle this." And Jack headed for Santa's Office at a run. The former Lion close behind him.

Jack dashed into North's office and startled the man who had been munching a cookie and going over flight plans and lists. "Jack! You're back, was Key safe?"

"Its tough to explain, I'll like Mr. Fearsome do the talking. I need one of your portals now, OH and call the other Guardians, we need back up on this!" Jack went to the desk and he saw one of the snow globes balanced on the corner picking it up he looked into it.

"Wha- Jack…" North started then paused and blinked at the golden figure who walked into his office.

"Oh, Privyetstviya." Jack for his part ignored the two figuring that the lion guy could do better than himself in this part with time of an essence and he looked into the ball.

"Time to go back to college." He said shaking it and once he saw the place he wanted he tossed it into the air then hopped into it.

000

"Dear Ashley, why the tears?" a voice said so soothingly. But the young woman only huddled closer into herself. Then she felt the cold chill down her spine meaning Pitch rested his hand on her shoulder.

She pulled back from him "You! You killed her!"

Pitch's face grew still from shock at her outburst.

Ashley though was too distraught, to shaken to be able to even comprehend what she was saying or who she was saying it to. She just knew inside herself that something was terribly wrong and as she shouted at Pitch it was coming clear.

Kill her? Who?

The voice.

"She's going to die because of you!"

"Impossible." Pitch at least seemed to know what she was talking about "Killing herself would solve nothing and it would only kill both of you in the process," he chuckled uneasily "Why would she do something so terribly rash!"

"She thinks the only way to stop you, to stop them! They are coming too… Time is running you, YOU revealed us! You betrayed us as well as yourself!" Ashley was on a roll, the words just coming from somewhere inside. As if a door that had been closed was suddenly flung open.

"Time…" he started and his eyes were first wide with the first real fear Ashley had ever seen in him. Then they suddenly went narrow and dark. Something very horrible in them.

"No one will stop me!" he growled and Ashley had no more time than it took to take a surprised step back.

Just as he closed in on her.

And covered her in darkness.

000

Jack reached the school just as he saw Pitch rush Ashley. "No!" he dove in, but too late.

Both had disappeared into shadow.

He cursed several of North's favorites, even a few of Bunny's. Looking about for a clue as to which way they could have gone. "Wind! Help me find her!"

He closed his eyes and let the wind carry him where it willed. Tumbling along the tree line and over buildings like a fallen snowflake. Until he stopped on the roof of an apartment building. Looking about he found the place.

Because of how dark it was. So terribly dark and horrible feeling with such fear. Even the other apartments near it had gone empty no one wanting to live close to such a feeling of pure nightmare.

He managed to pry open a window and twisting from his position hanging from the roof he landed in the window perched and looking around. He could feel Pitch's menace in this place. Could practically taste the fear here, but he did not see any sign of Ashley or Pitch having been here within the last few minutes.

"Jack!" he turned intime to be half tackled by the streak of blue and feathers. Then Toothiana released him "Are you alright? North sent out the call and told us to meet here. I saw you blowing on the wind I wondered if you been hurt…"

Jack paused her in her speed panic by putting a hand over her mouth "I am fine, but right now Pitch has a girl in his possession who is very VERY important for the existence of our universe."

Over his hand Tooth's eyes were very wide. He released her and she backed up "How could one person be that?" she asked him.

"She's something called a Gate, and with her in another being called Key. The two of them manage the balance of magic and belief in our realm." He told her.

The tooth fairy's eyes went very wide and she covered her mouth "And Pitch has her? Oh the poor girl! Who is she?"

"Ashley Tompson."

"Ashley," Tooth seemed to think and suddenly chuckled "Oh my! She very seldom got any gifts except face painting for her teeth! She was such an imp, made it hard for my fairies to get her teeth! I heard nothing of her since she lost her last molar."

"Yeah, well Pitch kind of made her disappear off all our radars." Jack told her. "So right now, I'm just trying to find where she was taken."

Tooth finally seemed to look around the apartment and rubbed her arms. "Oh my, Pitch… had really done a number on her."

"Yeah." Jack sad his fingers closing tight enough to creak the wood on his staff. When he got his hands on Pitch, he was going to do a number on his face.

"The others should be here shortly" Tooth said "I bet they can help us find out where he's taken her."

"We don't have much in the way of time right now. Because if we don't act quickly, she'll be dead."

"Will Pitch?"

Jack shook his head "Its really complicated."

"Then explain it to me Jack!" she said "Because right now, we are going to be going in circles if we don't know everything that's going on."

Jack paused and looked at her wide purple eyes. She stared back into his. Ernest and ready to help.

He just had to trust her.

He sighed. And began explaining as best he understood.

Jack just hoped they had time.


	6. Chapter 6

Fear Itself

Chapter 6

Notes: Getting close to the end! This is definitely a short story, so maybe another couple chapters.

Thank you for hanging on this long!

Oh yeah and the belated 'doesn't belong to me blah blah blah' But a special thanks to William Joyce for creating this world and for Dreamworks taking a chance to make it into a movie.

OH and if you want to see a sequel? (They really want to do North's story) Dreamworks need help to make this movie enough of a success to make another. Meaning, they need you to go see it. Drag your friends, family, estranged neighbors. Get everyone to see this film and preferably more than once!

Because of current their numbers have not been good and unless they make back twice what it cost to produce, create, and advertise this film, they will not be able to make another.

000

Jack sat on the roof while Tooth buzzed about with her baby teeth and giving orders. For those who were still working (as she did have a job that never really stopped. It was always night somewhere in the world and children lost teeth pretty consistently) but also she had them helping her hunt for possible entrances to Pitch's domain.

It was where they figured they had the best chance of finding Ashley and the Key if they found Pitch's domain.

Jack wondered what prompted Pitch to drag her off like that. He knew time was running out, Key was planning to take drastic measures. She was sure that somehow Jack could save Ashley, but he wanted to save them both.

It would be a horrible loss to lose them. He felt it in his bones. They held so much of the magic and belief within them. Just having them near…

As he sat there he realized just how much their loss would hurt the world.

And North said Pitch's actions had to threaten the world, thus the world's children for the Guardians to act.

He was definitely doing that now and if they didn't see it that way, he was sure Key's boyfriend would calmly beat them in the head until they did see it.

That guy was seriously scary.

His foot kicking over the roof line he watched Tooth flit through the air like a humming bird and talk at break neck speed jumping from one topic to the other with her fairies. He couldn't help the bit of a smile that came to his face. The chuckle as he watched Tooth work. It was amusing and he wouldn't be himself if he couldn't find the humor in most everything.

It was about then that another figure jumped up behind him "Frostbite."

Jack leaned back and looking at the figure behind him upside-down. "Cotton Tail." He acknowledged the Easter bunny.

"I didn't get everything but I got the part where it seems Pitch kidnapped your girlfriend and she also has the other half of herself or something like that," he shrugged.

"Other than not being my girlfriend, yeah that's about right. In the end mostly the key things we need to know. Pitch, endangering world, and about to kill all Belief for everyone."

Bunnymund had started to scratch at his ear while Jack was speaking and stopped, one foot raised as he stared "Crikey, seriously?"

"Yep." Jack leaned forward onto his staff. Watching nothing beyond the empty parking lot below.

Bunny crouched down next to the white haired youth, "That bites, sorry mate."

"We have time. We have to still have time." Jack said his hands closing tightly around the wood of his staff and Bunny winced as he heard it creak. He hesitated a moment. Over the time since Pitch had attacked them and Jack had helped to restore belief into Bunny, while Bunny still found the other a bit annoying, he at least learned to respect the kid as a fellow Guardian.

Slowly Bunny reached over and laid his paw like hand onto Jack's shoulder and gave it a squeeze "Brighten up, if you give into despair and fear, Pitch will have already won."

Jack rubbed his face and nodded. "Right." He said taking a breath. "We just gotta find his entrance. Last time he had that bed over a hole, so there had got to be something like that around here."

Bunny though was leaning over the roof and looking in the window of Ashley's apartment "Or, he just turned her apartment into his entrance." He commented.

Jack popped down next to the other and looked in.

It was so dark, foreboding. No light, no Hope, nothing but fear and horror.

"That has got to be." He said and flipped down to hop back into the apartment pushing open the window. He went to the most obvious place first. Her bed. Lifting the blanket he frowned as it was a solid baseboard. No place under for Pitch to use really.

Must have been instinctual for her. To have her bed as close to the floor as she could get it to try and not give Pitch any openings.

So then where else? He looked up, Bunny was looking around. Ears twitching in all directions, his nose sniffing as he sought out danger. He was half crouched, on high alert.

"Bunny?"

"Shh, I can sense it." He said softly and with slow hesitant and careful hops- shifting forward with his form and touching the ground with his front paws before letting his back move- he made his way around the room.

And stopped before her closet. "Yeah mate, it's there alright."

Jack pushed the sliding door open and then shoved the few things she had on hangers to the side to see the hole in the back. As if someone had pulled out bricks, opening the wall. He peeked in, using his staff to give off a slight glow he could see the wall, and then down.

And down, and down.

Backing out Jack looked at Bunny "Oh yes, definitely."

"You guys find the entrance?" Tooth darted into the room.

Bunny nodded. Jack he could tell was ready to jump down with or without the rest of them "Tooth, you wait here and when North and Sandman get here, follow. Me and Jack'll head down ahead."

"Are you sure that's safe?"

Bunny gave a 'heh' that did not sound convinced of anything "The kid is already half down there now. If we try and make him wait he'll go and do something stupid." He told her "At least, if this is stupid, I can drop us a fast tunnel out of there."

She gave a nod her feathers slicked back tightly against her head.

With a gulp Bunny went to Jack "Ok kiddo, let's get going. The others will get caught up."

Jack nodded and did not hesitate in the slightest as he slipped through the opening and let himself fall.

There were days when Aster wished he could be that fool hardy.

With a sigh he hopped after him. Though he had to struggle a moment as the blasted hole wasn't nearly as easy to navigate with his fuzzy tail as Jacks near toothpick form.

000

She was going in circles. Horrible frightening circles. Every opening led to a tunnel, or room, which lead her again always back to the center chamber with no way of going back the way she came.

As where once there was a doorway there was nothing but stone walls.

She could go nowhere Pitch did not allow her.

"Feel the fear Ashley. Give into it." She heard his voice chuckle, and a shadow pass along the wall.

She fled from it again. Going once more though an opening, this one dropped her down into a room and in a panic she tried to find a way out in the darkness. Not seeing the way out immediately she pushed herself back against the wall. Then paused as there was a horrible chill down her back. Looking up she saw Pitch staring down at her. Slightly amused at her wide eyed panic. Ashley dashed to the other side her back to stone and looking for an escape.

"You are in my realm, no one will find you here, so if you try anything Key, you will only kill both of you. Then were will your hope for Ashley be then? Or the rest of the world?"

Ashley growled at him. Her eyes flashing as she leaned forward a little "Foolish Dark One! You kill all of us with your actions! Even yourself!"

He snorted "Oh? Trying to reason with me now are we? Why didn't you speak up before Key?"

Her baring changed, her step seemed to become light as a bird's and her eyes did become silvery, though fleck of brown gave them a creamy complexion "Because before it would have confused Ashley, she's pretty much checked out for now so one of us have to be in charge." Her accent was hard to place, almost more of a non-accent from any particular region. Her face was calm, though he could still see the shaking of her hands she clasped over the stones behind her. "If I had revealed myself then They would have come, I would be back in that Tower and Ashley would be dead."

"Well then, rather glad you just continued to allow me to work my wiles upon the girl then." He said looking mightily unimpressed.

"You will not stop my actions. I will do this deed. Because the slow death of everything by my action would be a far cleaner one that what we would see by yours." She told him.

He growled "You wouldn't be so rash woman! Work with me instead. I can keep you free of them better than those stupid guardians. They have no interest in anyone not a child."

"Because children are the vessels used to transmute the magic the death of the Gate brings to the world." She said.

That actually made him pause and raise a brow "Really? And here I thought they were killing Gates just to keep them out of hands like mine. That is interesting to know. So killing the Gate as a child is how they been getting the magic in here without you is it?"

Her nod was sad.

"And I thought others had it rough. Born to die, and at such a horribly tragic age." He smiled at her his face a mocking pity.

Her eyes steeled. He moved forward. Glad to see at least for now, she was done running.

"Perhaps then, we shall see what the Key fears most, shall we?" he said sweetly.

Before the girl could run he moved forward, one hand closing around the back of her neck and the other over her eyes. Forcing her into darkness.

"The Tower, of course you fear your prison, and the loss of your Protector, being alone." He said "And Ashley never getting to grow up, fall in love. How quaint. Wanting to live vivaciously through another are we?" his grin grew very wide. "And you fear me." His eyes lit up, but then he paused in confusion as other fears hit him. Other memories and terrors.

"No…" he said softly. That wasn't what he wanted!

"PITCH!" The Boogeyman turned just in time to see the incoming snowball. Not a little one tossed playfully at his eyes either. A huge chunk of ice that struck him full on and knocked him into the wall.

Away from Ashley.

The girl's form crumpled but was caught by Bunny before she hit the ground. "It's ok Sheila, we'll get ya out of here. Get ya safe. I promise." He said softly to her. He saw her open her eyes briefly and look at him with an odd milky gaze for a moment, then her eyes were brown. Milky tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes.

He pressed her face into his fur and held her close his eyes sad and ears falling back. He knew that look. The poor thing was just so terrified. She was on nothing but baser instincts. It was not a reasoning human being, but a scared child.

And in that moment he felt what she was to his core. The last shred of Hope in her kindled because of him and in turn she rekindled his own Hope. Giving him strength.

"I'll protect you to my last breath" he promised her. Trying to bolster her spirits.

He looked up and saw Jack still going to town on Pitch. The other was so off guard that he was not fleeing fully into his shadows. Instead just dodging Jack's blows and trying to gather up enough of his shadows to counter.

But Jack wasn't giving him time for that.

"We got her Jack! Let's get out of here!" before Pitch got himself together. They had to get out of his realm, where he was strongest, if they hoped to beat him.

"Start ahead!" Jack shouted. He had to keep Pitch distracted, as long as he could mange.

Their words though seemed to have gone through that haze that Pitch had been under and his eyes flared. "NO!" the shadows suddenly flew in from all sides diving into Pitch, the other gone.

His laughter echoed and bunny hunched his nose working and ears shifting to try and locate the bastard "Oh Nelly." He said "Common Jack, time to run!"

He picked up the girl and attempted to make a hole with a tap of his foot. Nothing happened.

Jack ran by and grabbed him by one of his ears "This way!" he was somewhat familiar enough with this place to know the best chance for a real exit. They just had to get there before Pitch.

The shadows gathered and Pitch stepped out of the tunnel that would have taken them to the surface. "Going somewhere?" he asked sweetly "So rude, come in without knocking and then leave without saying good bye. My feelings are hurt." And reaching into one of the shadows he pulled out his Nightmare Blade. The huge Scythe looking deceptively light in his hands.

Bunny said something that was decided not his normal curses and ducked the blade. Jack threw up his staff to block it, sparks of ice and darkness flying off in all directions.

"Just the two of you in my realm Jack, you don't stand a chance." Pitch said pressing into Jack who's feet slipped and then managed firmer footing to try and push back.

Then he blinked and with a grin slipped to the side throwing off Pitch's balance. The Boogeyman falling forward with an undignified yelp. He turned slightly and eyes very wide dodged just as the whip of dream sand crashed the ground right where he was.

Sandy came out of the shadows, followed by North. Tooth dashed in at high speed trying to catch Pitch off guard. The other managed to dive in panic for one of his shadows.

"Maybe two would be no good against you here Pitch, but all five of us? It is you I think who is outclassed." North said twirling his blades in his hands to catch them.

"We have to get the girl to the surface." Bunny said coming up to them.

"Then go! We'll hold him off!" Tooth shouted flitting from shadow to shadow forcing Pitch into the retreat. North took up Guard on the exit while Sandman joined the Tooth fairy in her chase of Pitch.

Jack paused as Bunny made for the exit and North tossed his head "Go, cover Bunny. Man in Moon says you know the place to go."

Jack paused and then eyes widening he nodded.

He knew the place alright.

And between him and Bunnymund they could get her there easily.

He dashed after the Easter Bunny catching up to him "Quick, we gotta go Home."

000

End notes: bu-bu-bummmm! See you next chap!


	7. Chapter 7

Fear Itself

Chapter 7

Notes: Wild ride! And we're coming to a close. Thank you all so very much for sticking this little story out with me!

000

Once they got away from Pitch's domain Bunnymund was able to open up a tunnel and the two dropped in. Bunny still holding onto the girl and they navigated the tunnels to the place that Jack wanted. Popping out near the pond. This close to Christmas it was frozen over and Jack ran over to it making a quick loop around it freezing it over a little more solid. A habit of his, from before he could even recall who he had been before.

He always had to take the time to freeze this pond. To make sure no one could get hurt here when it was cold.

He came back around to Bunny who had crouched by the pond the young woman looking small and child like in his arms.

"How is she?"

"Not well." Bunny verified to Jack as he balanced the girl and brushed back a bit of her hair. "Pitch went into overtime on her, she's pretty much all base instinct at the moment."

Jack growled.

"She'll be alright though. We'll make sure of it." Bunny promised him and Jack gave a hesitant smile in return.

"So," the Easter Bunny said looking around "Why did North tell us to come here?"

"Because this is where I was told to go." The voice that cut through anything Jack would say made both the immortals start and shift to see the golden figure stepping out of shadow. How he managed to hide Jack would never know.

Yeah. Seriously. That guy was scary.

"Lion, Dude, why are you here?" Jack asked, trying to keep his voice light hearted. Years of experience had made it easier and once he was smiling his mood was lifting. Which was good, as he did not like being so angry.

"After I had given my explanation to North and the rabbit left, your 'Manny' contacted us. He was the one that said I should come here instead of going after Key." He told them then paused. "And now I see why that was so." Jack wasn't sure how the sword came to his hand, it was as if it just appeared, and that might have been the case. But he moved as a golden streak a fierce warrior who put himself between the other two and oncoming Danger.

Two figures stepped into view. One was an older looking man. A long cloth of white draped around his shoulders and head. He was very thin and older looking. But his eyes were hidden by the drape of cowl. In his hand he held a time glass. Sand dripping down with impossible slowness.

Next to him the other figure was hard to make out. Vaguely female in shape and outline but there was a deep blackness that at the same time contained nothing but light.

Time and Space. Even Jack had heard of these two. The Eldest of them all.

Why where they here?

"Give us the Key." Space's voice echoed hallow and with hardly anything in it marking it as anything remotely connected to mortal world or concern.

"No" the Protector said simply "She followed your rules, her escape was within the rules as laid out."

"You where only an observer, not to be involved Lion." Time said his voice equally as hallow and without emotion as Space.

"Sheesh!" Jack cut in before this could turn into an argument. He saw a cloud clearing from around the moon as he glanced up to roll his eyes expressively. And it looked huge and full, and wasn't it meant to be a new moon this time of month? The Man in the Moon was up to something that was for sure. "Can we all chill and just talk about this like calm adults?"

"Her sentence had been laid out since the beginning of time when she was not meant to be born. The anomaly must be contained." Space said to Jack.

Jack found himself mouthing 'anomaly' to himself. They spoke as if she was a mistake, a joke.

Oh yeah, he knew that feeling and his own eyes hardened. "She's not some object you can lock up! She's a living being with Hopes and Dreams like the rest of us, HELL she's the SOURCE of all of it! How can you just lock up belief like that? Take away the magic, for what? A CHANCE that something could go wrong? Well guess what! It did go wrong! And because of you she could not even defend herself!" he stepped forward. Beside the Protector who stood solid and sill as carved stone, his blade held ready in case the other two made a move.

Behind him Bunny was impressed. Not many could stand up to those two without flinching. He kept the girl close. He was not about to put her down one bit, so no one could get the chance to nab her without getting a kick from his foot.

And no one, absolutely no one, could kick like a rabbit.

The big two where silent as if Jack's talking back to their orders and will was a shock.

Then Time lifted his hourglass, "If you will not do as we say then we have no choice but to sentence you."

He was not able to do more when there was a portal and Santa's Sleigh came careening out of the air. Everyone had to back up as it more crashed than landed between the two groups.

"Are we late?" Santa said cheerfully. Sandman waved and hopped out. Tooth darted out as well and came to a stop as she spotted Space and Time.

Space showed no reaction though Time raised a brow. "This is a matter that is very simple. Give us back Key. She does not belong here."

North dropped a tied up Pitch to the ground by them. The Boogeyman was looking a little motion sick. No one looked overly sympathetic.

"She belongs here!" Jack shouted shifting around the sleigh. The others blinked at him, "She is the source of magic and belief!" some of it he learned some he just figured out and all of it he knew to be true as his own core was Play. Her's was the very stuff that made it all real. Made children see them. Made life happen. Without her, there would have been only time and space forever expanding with very little interesting things going on.

Maybe in a way, that was what scared them most. She added an element that they could not fully control. Time could only move forward, never look back, and space was just… there.

"If you take Key, Ashley will die and then what? We just keep going like before? Nothing changing? Where is the fairness!"

"Jack-" North started but Jack only glared at him.

"Can it jolly man. I know the world isn't fair. I know this better than anyone. I spent three hundred years learning just how unfair the world was! But she's spent even longer!" he pointed back towards Ashley. "I think it's not a time now to go with just fairness. But Justice.

She never did anything WRONG, she was just born. If she was born towards the beginning of everything how can she be an anomaly without making the rest of us the same? If you are punishing her for being alive then you might as well do the same for all of us."

"Bad choice of words Mate." Bunny said softly as Time seemed to smirk. Jack blinked in confusion but readied for a fight.

"If that is your choice." He responded. Everyone got ready to battle.

Before they could do more though the beam from the moon struck the ground and after a long moment there was a man standing there between them all.

Jack blinked, well, that might explain why he had been taking a bit of time to do something.

Dressed in a simple suit and hair pushed back the Man in the Moon straitened his jacket. "I am afraid you cannot go threatening my Guardians. You are currently in my Realm and my World. So nothing can be done without my permission."

"If the rules have been…" Space started.

"The only rule breaking I've seen have been you." The MiM snapped looking a bit irritated. Turning he walked back towards the group. "Did good." He said to Jack patting his shoulder. The young winter sprite bit his lip. He thought he hadn't wanted anyone's approval over his choices, since it had almost felt as if he had been the only one fighting.

But so simple a phrase and he felt as if his whole existence had just been validated.

"Manny. Old friend." North stated and the MiM smiled at him.

"Good to see you again. It is sad that I couldn't make this trip just out of desire to speak with you all more directly." He said to them and then walked past the Lion who looked like he was going to move but Jack laid a hand on his arm. He looked down at him and for a moment Jack feared he was going to fight him, but instead the sword was gone from his hands and he folded them behind his back. Still again, though watching everyone very carefully.

The Man in the Moon knelt by Bunny still holding the girl and brushed her cheek "I am so sorry I did not know before now just what they had done to you." He said "But I have something you might like." And leaning close he whispered to her. Even Bunny with his big ears could not make out what was said.

But her eyes shot open, alternating between brown and silver. The smile that broke out over her features was huge. "My… Name."

"Guard it well, it took me a bit of hunting to find it. Or I would have come sooner." He told her and taking her hand, with Bunny's aid, he got her to her feet.

"What are you doing?" Time demanded.

"Clearing up at least part of this mess you two created with your rather narrow and unimaginative ways." He snapped "She is one of mine, a Guardian."

The others looked at her as if they expected her to change, but her eyes settled back to brown. Other than a streak of white that had formed in her black hair she looked the same as before. And completely human.

"Huh?" Jack voiced things first.

"Guardian of Belief, she is and always will be Human."

"But that is only one half of her." Space said, "Giving Key her Name did not merge them."

"Of course not they have spent too long apart for the Gate and Key to merge. Key is as well her own being and is the Immortal half. She is also a Guardian." He stated with finality "Thus now they are mine and unless I allow you to, there can be no punishment."

There was silence. As if the wind itself held its breath.

"Fine." Time finally said.

"But these two are not yours." And both Pitch and the Lion found themselves singled out.

"But!" Jack was held back by the Man in Moon who looked at him a little sad.

"I'm afraid Pitch did commit a crime as well as the Protector, crimes against the laws that those two have set out. In this I can do nothing. But have faith." He told the boy.

"It's not fair." Jack said.

Manny smiled at him and just patted his arm. Ashley stood next to Bunny her hands against her mouth. Part of her was screaming the other half having no clue what was going on at the moment. Which left her feeling confused and scared.

"Lion Protector. You are stripped of your Rank and Title." Time started.

"Dark One Boogeyman. You as well are stripped of your Title and Rank." Space continued.

"As this realm will still be in need of a Dark One, You" Time pointed towards the Lion who was looking a little uneasy "Shall take on the mantle of the Boogeyman. The Shadow of the realm and the Fear Aleese bon Sune"

"His first name was Alice?" Jack muttered with a snicker. North snorted but straitened his features and Tooth hissed at them to be quiet.

"Pitch Black, your punishment is to become the new keeper of Key Tower."

"What? No!" Pitch snapped out of his shock and daze to attempt to escape. But the shadows did not respond immediately to him.

"If that is settled, then why don't you be on your way?" Manny told them stepping forward with a clap of his hands. "After all we cannot have you two here for too long without messing with this realm's sense of time and space."

They nodded. Space lifted her hands and a portal opened. The two stepping though and Pitch found himself pulled towards the black hole that seemed to bend all and drag it into its depths.

Then he was sucked through and gone.

"That… was not how I expected things to go." Jack finally voiced and then pretty much the whole group looked towards the Man in the Moon who cheerfully grinned back at them all.

"That went much better than I was expecting! Congratulations on your new position Sune!" he said giving the lion a friendly clap on the shoulder.

His color seemed to be changing, darkening, until all that remained of his old color was hint around his bronzed skin, flecks in his hair and intensely lion like golden eyes. "So, it would seem." He said looking down at his hands as if trying to place the changes.

It was odd how Jack had a feeling that while there would always be a fear of the dark and boogeyman, it wasn't going to be so horrible anymore. He remembered the other talking to him about what the Boogeymen were.

And it seemed, what they were going to be again.

"What about Pitch?" Tooth asked.

It was Ashley who snorted, but moved over to the lion and gave him a huge hug. He paused a moment and his face softened as he hugged the girl back. Silvery eyes looked out from black hair saying it was Key talking now.

"He'll be fine. Once he gets over the shock I actually think the Tower will suit him." She looked up at the lion who nodded.

"I saw his fears, when he was being drug away. The Tower is a place out of time, he will have no worries of becoming nothing there. And with the prisoners, well, there are many he will have plenty of time to show them fear."

"That, seems like a bum deal for those trapped there." Jack said.

Sune shook his head "Most are criminals, somewhere like Key and innocent, but we cannot save them all and as it stands, the Tower should by this point be fairly empty as all who where there have escaped when Jack freed myself."

Manny nodded "They will head back to their own realms, or have followed Jack and Sune to this one. Some, we may only have to give them a place to stay and a home. They will settle in fine. But others, well, there were worst things in the Realms than Pitch."

"Lovely, so I take it we're going to be fairly busy then?" Bunny said rubbing his face.

"I'm afraid so." The MiM agreed.

"HA! Let them come! We are Guardian!" North said "We will protect this world and its children."

"But, what about me? You, said I'm a Guardian, but…" Ashley/Key looked at their hands. They seemed to be having some sort of internal conversation at the moment.

Manny walked over and took the girl's hands "Ashley, you will always be Mortal. I could not change everything and your death is in itself the greatest power. When you die it will bring Belief and Magic to this world."

"No… I can't handle my sisters dying young!" It was Key talking.

"Before they choose to kill the Gates as children. Because children are the carriers of belief. But now, with the Gate now and forever a Guardian means, when she dies it will be of old age. With a life rich and blessed and full of experience. In that moment, she and you will bring about more power transferred to all the realms than ever before. There will be more magic, and more Belief in our worlds. Making everything better, for everyone. Then you Key, will be able to always be with your sisters. Because the Gate will live again because of you. From the ashes a new Gate will be born, protected and loved by you."

She blinked and felt her lip quiver. "To grow up, and have children?" she said softly.

"To fall in love, to see children and grandchildren. Then start again to experience it all for the first time." Manny said.

Ashley for herself just felt relief that she would never have to live in fear. To be able to have a life without constantly looking over her shoulder. And in an odd way knowing that her life would forever have a very special meaning.

A Purpose.

And she was never going to ever be alone. Because Key would be with her. Always. No matter how many lives she lived she would always have Key.

"And I will always be beside you both." Sune said softly and the two turned their gaze to his golden one.

Ashley felt a sense of amusement at the utter love Key felt. Seems she was not to be rid of the Boogeyman.

But this time, she knew it wasn't going to be a bad thing anymore.

"Hey, as a Guardian she won't be rid of us that easy either Mate." Bunny said coming forward.

Ashley grinned looking about herself.

She wasn't alone.

And she was never going to be.

The girl broke into peels of happy laughter. Tears down her cheeks. For all her family never celebrated Christmas, it seemed she was just given the best present ever in her whole life.

And it was going to last her whole life.

And her next one. And the Next.

Yeah, she could live with that.

000

Ashley closed the door of her apartment. Even though the new Boogeyman had removed the doorway to the dark realm from it there was still too many cold and scary memories here for Ashley or Key to be comfortable.

"This is just, rather weird." Ashley said as she leaned against the closed and now locked doorway. She tossed up the key and would have caught it if Jack had not nabbed them and giggled at her from the roof. She stuck out her tongue "What are you doing here? Don't you have a blizzard to organize or something?"

"All done, I'm actually getting ready for a snow day for this region." He told her.

"Ah, well, I guess that makes sense. So why are you bothering me again?" she raised a brow.

He dropped her keys that she caught and cursed because they were now freezing. He laughed at her. So she flipped him off which only made him laugh harder. Tucking them into her coat pocket she looked back at the mischievous spirit "Well mostly to make sure you were still ok," he admitted "And then to pass on the invite from North. We'll be having the post Christmas party at the pole." He tossed her an empty snow globe.

She caught it and blinked at it "As a Guardian, you're invited." He told her.

She grinned "Well, it sounds fun."

Jack laughed "It should be a riot. Sandy is the best as charades and Bunny can never seem to not get himself utterly smashed on eggnog."

She chuckled "Seems I should bring a camera." She said.

Jack laughed "Oh would you? It would be great!" he was practically dancing.

She laughed and nodded "I gotta get going." She shouldered her bag "See you later then."

Jack smiled and with a couple bounding steps and a cheerful shout he let the wind carry him off. She shook her head. Really couldn't call that flying that he did. More like controlled falling, with style.

She had two families now. And it seemed two lives, and two selves.

Most would call it crazy and impossible and so many other names, but she was Gate and Key.

Keepers of Belief and Magic.

And they were Guardians.

000

End.

000

End Notes: This was seriously FUN to write. I hoped I managed to get everyone well. And it's been awhile since I read the original books so I couldn't fully remember what the Man in Moon was like. I did my best off of vague memories and William Joyce's wonderful illustrations.

As always, pardon my typos, I do a cursory look over (some days better than others) before posting but I have no beta readers and these go up as soon as I finish writing them. (that way I can stop procrastinating and get back to my real work lol.)

I dunno if I will go back to this world. If I get an idea. I mean I do love the way its set up and wanted to expand and play a little more in it for ages. The movie just kick started the ideas. (And since I've watched it like 4 times now… And I shall see it again! ) I do admit I'd like to play with some of the non-guardians. Like Cupid whom I introduced here, but I also have ideas of some of the other holidays and personification of concepts (Such as the movie mentioned the Leprechaun and the Great Elk [or did he say oak?]) And I'm a bit of a fan of Tooth and Jack.

As for Pitch, well once he adjusts I actually think he won't find Key's tower so much a prison as a new Palace. A captive audience, nice views, and no fear of being forgotten or unrelieved in. Plus a lovely bonus of being able to use his very position as the Key of the Tower to dangle as a carrot to keep his captives playing…

Will he ever leave himself again? *shrugs* Who knows.

As for Ashley, she'll grow to be a ripe old age, have lots of kids and grandkids and great grandkids, then die nice and quiet. Releasing all the years of magic and belief she'd been gathering (meaning power wise, she'll get stronger as she gets older) into the realms giving everyone a wonderful boost of new wonder and belief. Then Key will carry her spirit to another little child about to be born and they will start again.

She'll forever be the mortal Guardian, but also the one that doesn't NEED belief in her to exist.

Key will be more like the Pheonix, always rising from the ashes. And with her Protector now the new Boogeyman, she'll have him by her side. And he's in this not for the fear or belief. He won't care if anyone really believes in him (but oh will they) for him it is a Duty. And a Charge that he will carry out.

If anything, he's a bit scarier LOL for him it really is nothing personal. Heheh.

Anyway thanks for hanging around and letting me blather at you for 7 chapters! Now off to real work and my other fanfic…


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